Fire-escape.



PATENTED MAY 12, .1903.

No. 728,114. I T. KELLY.

FIRE ESCAPE. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 27, 1902 H0 MODEL.

WITNESSES:

UNrrEn STATES iatented May 12, 1903 PATENT OFFICE.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 728,114, dated May 12, 1903.

Application filed May 27,1902.

To aZZ whom itjntty concern):

Be it known that I, TIMOTHYKELLY, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Watertown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire -Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a class of fire-escapes designed to be attached to a window'or door. It is an addition to or improvement upon my Patent No.r660,060, granted October 16, 1900. That patent illustrates a swinging crank-like device provided at its outer end with a friction-drum on which is arranged an endless chain, to which chain may be attached at will an auxiliary chain and loop or other similar device secured around the body of a person about to descend.

The object of the invention is to provide means for preventing any possible interference of the traveling bight of the chain as it turns in the concave of the friction-drum and also to provide means which will insure the proper side of the chain being grasped by the person about to' descend, so that it Will be impossible for two or more persons to balance on opposite sides of the chain, and the farther or outer end willbe free to operate as a check or guiding rope or chain.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation with the attaching devices broken away, those devices being illustrated in my preceding patent. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the friction-drum and the associated devices, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

1 1 represent horizontal supports which reach from a pivoted frame attached to a sash-frame on the wall or otherwise secured within the room.

2 is a vertical standard, to .which the supports 1 are secured by T-joints.

3 and 4 are respectively the central and side arms of one form of frame which may be used instead of the frame which I have illustrated in my previously-named patent. It will be obvious, of course, that many forms of frames are adapted to carry the friction- Serial No. 109,185. (No model.)

drum and its associated devices and at the same time provide light and powerful supports.

6 is a shaft, which may be a continuation of the arm 3 or may be a separate shaft fitted into the arm 3.

5 is a binding-nut.

7 is a binding-collar having a set-nut 8 to adjust it.

9 represents a friction-drum bearing on the shaft 6 10, frictionbands, preferablyof rubber, lying'in a recess in the friction-drum, and 11 an outer disk adapted to bind against the friction-band when forced home by the binding-collar '7.

12 represents an endless chain passing over and wrapped about the friction-drum, and 13 is a short auxiliary chain with a flexible loop at the end which is adapted to be snapped into position onthe the chain 12 and placed about the body of the person about to descend.

The parts described are practically those described in my preceding patent, and their operation is the same. A person about to descend places the loop of the section 13 about his body and snaps it into one of the links of the -chain 12. The friction of the bands 10 as pressed'in by the disks 11 under the fixed pressure of the collar-7 is sufficient to provide forchecking the descent of a person the momentthe foot touches the ground, so that in practice it will be sufficient to safely carry down a body. The "fact that the chain is' wrapped about the friction-drum, preferably by asingle turn, is also a check upon the toorapid operation of the device. The other or outer side of the chain, however, provides a guide rope or chain, so that by the slightest grasp of a person descending the descent may be regulated at will. Furthermore, the outer side of the chain 12 permits any one at the bottom to pull out the person descending away from the wall or to avoid dangerous obstacles. specific devices which I have added to these features to give additional security.

I have provided a frame 14', which has a top piece 15 to operate as a guard to prevent the chain from jumping over in any event, and a central brace 16, connecting the two side pieces of the frame and adapted to lie under a cut-away portion 18 of the binding- I will now describe particularly the IOO collar 7, so that the frame is securely held in position without any other attaching means. In the bottom of the frame are journaled two rollers 20, centrally located. The chain passes over these rollers, the rollers separating two sides of the chain, so as to keep the chain spread out and render it impossible for one bight of the chain to lap over the opposite bight in the concave of the friction-drum, and thereby lock and stop the descent of the person escaping. The rollers also act as antifriction devices. 21 represents a divisionplate arranged diagonally within the frame 14. The purpose of this plate is to prevent the person about to descend from attaching the auxiliary chain 13 to any but the inner part of the endless chain 12. It may be made of any length desired, provided it is such as to distinctly and clearly present the inner chain to a person about to descend. This prevents the possibility of two people, forexample, attaching themselves to opposite sides of the chain and so balancing as to prevent the descent of either. The two additions-- the rollers and the division-plate-also keep the chains clearly separated, so that the outer part of the chain 12 may be easily manipulated by the rescuers.

It is obvious that in providing the rollers 20 I have used what appears to be the most available device for the purpose. The idea involved, whatever form he used, is a separating-guide for the divisions of the chain, the divisions which in action would be, in effect, the inner and outer parts with reference to the person about to escape.

The shape of the frame 14 and, as indicated, the shape of the main supporting-frame may have many modifications. There may also be modifications of size and position of the division shield or plate 21, the idea being to practically so conceal or cover the outer chain that whatever the haste the persons escaping will all be certain to apply the auxiliary chain to the inner division or the same division.

While I have used the word chain throughout as a convenient term, it will be understood that this term covers any kind of traveling support which may be found adaptable.

At 22 I have shown a box in which the body of the chain may be deposited when not in use. This box swings on the standard 2, which, as shown, has an end 28, adapted to play into a socket or other support on the window-sill to give an added support and to take the strain off the swinging frame.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A fire escape comprising a swinging frame, a friction-drum, an endless chain turning about the friction-drum, and a separat it ing-guide located below the friction-dru1n and between the divisions of the chain.

2. A fire escape comprising. a swinging frame, a friction-dru m, an endless chain turning about the friction-drum, a frame surrounding the friction-drum, a roller journaled in the frame and lying between the divisions of the chain.

3. A fire escape comprising a swinging frame, a friction-drum, an endless chain turning on the friction-drum, a binding-collar cut away on the bottom, a frame surrounding the friction-drum and having a central brace lying under the cut-away face of the binding collar, and a separating-guide supported by the frame and lying between the divisions of the chain. I

a. A fire-escape comprising a supportingframe, a friction-drum, an endless chain turning on the drum, and a division shield or plate lying between the divisions of the chain.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

TIMOTHY KELLY.

Witnesses:

GRAFTON L. McGILL, G. A.-BRERETON. 

